Aaron b



'A. E JAMES.

L Straw Cutter.

Patented Dec. 27,

N. FETERs Piwlnlilhogvzphnr. Washington. DC.

UNITED i i f i mamas.

smaw-cm' g Specification of Letters Patent No. 26,592, dated To all whom it may concern: y y

Be it known that I, AARON E. JAMES, of

Decatur, in the county of Macon and State are operated, between which the straw passes, and by which it is fed to the knife by means of a positive motion imparted to each feed ing cylinder separately, whereby a perfect feed of the straw is insured.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to de scribe its construction and operation.

A, represents the frame of the machine.

B, represents the straw box.

C, represents the knife frame, which moves within the grooves D, to be guided in its vertical motion.

a, represents the knife or knives, which aresecured to the frame C; the latter is operated by means of a lever E,which is pivoted at G, to the knife frame C, and which turns on the pin I), as its fulcrum; the latter passes through a slot 0, of the lever G, to give said lever, suflicient end play in its operation. a

H, and I, represent the feed rollers of the machine; they have their hearings in the sides of the straw box B, and can turn freely on said bearings. The cylinder H, has secured to its circumference a number of radial blades or strips d, which are pressed ,into and take hold of the straw when they push it forward it has also a groove h, cut in its circumference, into which the feeding pawl drops which turns the cylinder. The cylinder I, has a similar groove m, cut on its circumference for the same purpose, in which a number of plates 2' equal to the number of the blades (i, are securedradially against which the feeding pawl can operate.

frame 0, and it can play upward in the recess 0, of said ,fra ne but jwhenoper the feed roller H, j itislsupported by; and; 9 v. rests on the upperedge ofthe knife agas represented in Fig. ,2.

32, represents the pawhwhich operatesthe j I f cylinderI; it is pivoted jtoj [the stock; in; f which is securedto theknife: frame. (){andif can turn upwardon its pivot r; but in operating thecylinder Lit-slower} edgebears on? the stockK, and it isifthen held rigidlynj a g, is an iron plate, which forms onevsideiu of the throat of the machine, against which]; f

the knife a, cuts the straw. f

.9 represents an iron plate which is infront of the cylinder H, a1id lwhichis inclined to over the plate 9 as tojforin another sideto .ward the front; it is securedf atsuch pointy sent it in its compressedfstateflto the knifef i if a, and the plate 8, also actsasa support and j guide for the pawl Jr, to prevent it 1 from,

dropping too low.

The operationoflthe machineisasfol-B lows: When theknife hasmade a cut,\thej parts are in the position represented inyF ig 3, wherethe knife and its frame 0, arein y c their lowest position. Onraising the lever E, the frame. G, is raised to, the position] represented in Fig. 2, and while said frame is raised the pawls In and; p arealso raised and bear respectively on the plates d, andwz', 1 1 thus turned t iroughjthe, same spaces against each other, and feed the, straw toward the of the feedin cylinders H, and; I, which are knife, they being both operated by the posi- 1 i tive action of their respective pawls and feed 3 the straw with the full powenapplied toythe lever E, on pressing down the lever the 1 knives or. cut the straw, the pawl k drops down on the plate 8, while the pawlpflcan turn on its pivot 1', and thus slip over the; plates 2', and be ready for the next operation.

The hinged pawl u,bear sjagainst the plates y 1 d, and thus prevents the cylinderjH, from turning in an opposite direction, if-it should i have a tendencytodojso; and the, .pawlxp, effects a similar purpose to itsfeed roll z.

The advantage of making the ratchets: in the rolls themselves is this, that itobviates q the necessity of cogged gearing, and bymak ing the grooves m, [tin the rolls, and laying iuo i1 said strips serve a double purpose, .viz.v i

into the rolls the radial strips 1', d, I make for clamping the straw tightly to feed fit 10 means of two feed rolls, between which the straw passes when said rolls or cylinders are both operated simultaneously by the positive actions of separate pawls or their equivalents working in ratchets made and arranged in saidrolls, substantially in the manner, and for the purpose herein described.

AARON E. JAMES. Witnesses:

G. W. PATTERSON, W. H. BRAMBLE. 

